Bills

Rep. Frank Considering Bill to Repeal Online Gambling Ban

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 16, 2007 - 10:48am.

Washington - Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, said on Thursday that he plans to provide more details in coming weeks on possible legislation that would overturn the U.S. Internet gambling ban, Reuters reported.

Bill Would Add Penalties for Crime Videos Posted Online

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 26, 2007 - 10:14am.

Washington - A bill introduced in the U.S. House would increase penalties on violent crimes where the acts have been videotaped by the perpetrators and posted online.

President Signs Bill Outlawing "Pretexting" Into Law

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 17, 2007 - 11:39am.

Washington - President Bush has signed into law a bill that outlaws "pretexting," or the fraudulent or unauthorized acquisition or disclosure of confidential phone records.

Wired News: MPAA Lobby Kills Calif. Bill That Outlawed "Pretexting"

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on December 1, 2006 - 1:08pm.

San Francisco - The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has effectively lobbied to defeat a California bill that would have outlawed "pretexting" and other deceptive practices used to obtain private information about consumers, Wired News reported on Friday.

Congress Approves Ban on Internet Gambling

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 2, 2006 - 1:54pm.

Washington - Congress on Saturday approved a bill that would ban most forms of Internet gambling in the U.S. The legislation prohibits banks and credit card companies from accepting transactions from would-be U.S. customers and Internet gambling sites, and assesses fines or penalties for those who fail to comply. The bill was attached to unrelated legislation aimed at improving port security, after an earlier attempt by Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) to add it to a defense spending bill failed.

Internet Gambling Bill May Not Get Vote Before Congressional Recess

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 27, 2006 - 6:13am.

Washington - A bill that would ban most forms of Internet gambling in the U.S. may not come up for a vote before the end of the week, when the Congressional session concludes for the midterm elections, Reuters reported. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), one of the bill's proponents, had sought to tack the legislation onto a pending defense bill. But Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner (R-Va.) wrote in a letter to Frist on Monday that he has "firmly opposed putting any (unrelated) bills in the conference report." The bill's proponents are still working to add the gambling bill to different pending legislation. "I wouldn't pronounce it dead yet," a senior Democratic aide told Reuters.

House Bill Would Mandate Ratings Board Play All New Video Games

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 7, 2006 - 3:41pm.

Washington - A new bill in the U.S. House would mandate that the video game industry's ratings board play all video games in their entirety before issuing its ratings.

U.S. House Approves Bill to Restrict Internet Gambling

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 11, 2006 - 3:48pm.

Washington - The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday voted in favor of a bill that aims to crack down on Internet gambling, CNET News.com reported.

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Senate Republican Bill Would Increase Regulations, Penalties on Explicit Sites

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 16, 2006 - 12:56pm.

Washington - A new bill introduced by Senate Republicans this week would increase regulations and penalties for websites that post sexually explicit content, CNET News.com reported.

Oklahoma Gov. Signs Video Game Bill Into Law

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 12, 2006 - 1:12pm.

Oklahoma City, Okla. - Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry last week signed into law a bill that makes it a felony to sell or rent violent video games to minors in the state.

House Approves Bill Facilitating Telecom Digital TV Services

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 9, 2006 - 1:53pm.

Washington - The U.S. House voted 321-101 on Thursday in favor of allowing telecom providers like AT&T and Verizon to apply for a nationwide license to offer digital TV services.

Louisiana Governor Likely to Sign Video Game Bill Passed in Senate

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 9, 2006 - 1:32pm.

Baton Rogue, La. - The Louisiana State Senate has passed a bill banning the sale of violent video games to minors, which puts games to a similar legal test as that used to determine obscenity.

Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Streamline Digital Music Licensing

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 8, 2006 - 5:20pm.

Washington - Lawmakers on Thursday introduced a bill that would create a streamlined blanket licensing system for digital music services. The Section 115 Reform Act of 2006 (SIRA), introduced by Reps. Lamar Smith (R-TX) and Howard Berman (D-CA), has the support of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) and Digital Music Association (DiMA) -- which represents big webcasters like AOL, RealNetworks, Live365 and Yahoo.

Senate Commerce Committee to Revise Proposed Net Neutrality Bill

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 7, 2006 - 1:33pm.

Washington - The chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee said on Wednesday that he plans to release a revised version of net neutrality provisions that have been widely criticized by Internet content providers, CNET News.com reported.

Wired News: Has the Net Ever Been Neutral?

Authored by robert on May 31, 2006 - 2:10am.

Wired News explores the heating Net Neutrality debate, including the six competing bills on Capitol Hill, while advocating a compromise between polarizing positions.

House Judiciary Committee Approves Internet Gambling Ban

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 25, 2006 - 7:04am.

Washington - The U.S. House Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved a bill that would ban Internet gambling in the U.S., and prohibit online casinos from accepting payments from credit cards, checks, wire and Internet transfers.

Bill Fining Minors Who Purchase Violent Games Passes Minnesota House

Authored by dmw on May 22, 2006 - 7:03pm.

St. Paul, Minn. - The Minnesota State House has passed a bill that would compel retailers to post clear signs informing consumers of the video game ratings system, and -- in a twist not yet seen in such state-sponsored legislation -- would impose a $25 fine on minors under 18 who try to purchase Mature- or Adults Only-rated games. Introduced by State Rep. Jeff Johnson (R-St. Paul), the bill passed the House in a 114-17 vote. "We were trying to pass the narrowest bill possible just to try something different from a constitutional challenge standpoint," Rep. Johnson told GamePolitics.com. To date, similar laws passed in a number of states have been routinely struck down by the courts as unconstitutional restrictions on First Amendment free speech protections. Johnson's bill will now move to the Minnesota Senate.

Louisiana House Unanimously Approves Violent Video Game Bill

Authored by dmw on May 18, 2006 - 12:27pm.

Shreveport, La. - The Louisiana State House has voted unanimously to approve a bill that would ban the sale of violent video games to minors, and classify such games in the same category as pornography.

French Parliament Alters iTunes Bill; License Fee, DRM Assurances Added

Authored by dmw on May 12, 2006 - 12:24pm.

Paris - The French Senate has altered a controversial bill that aims to ensure competition in the country's digital music market by forcing companies like Apple to open their online stores to players besides the iPod, Reuters reported. Responding to opposition from Apple, the Senate bill now includes a license fee for companies who provide interoperability of their services, as well as an assurance that copyright protection will be upheld by third parties, through the creation of an independent authority to regulate digital rights management transfers. Both houses of France's parliament will have to agree on the language of the bill, which could be enacted as early as next month. It's unclear whether Apple would comply with the proposed French law or instead simply choose to shutter its iTunes Store in France.

Bill Would Ban Minors' Access to Social Networks at Schools, Libraries

Authored by dmw on May 11, 2006 - 12:54pm.

San Francisco - House Republicans have introduced a bill that would prohibit minors' access to social networking sites at schools and libraries, CNET News.com reported. The Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA), authored by Rep. Michael Fitzpatrick (R-Penn.) and backed by House Speaker Dennis Hastert, would ban students' access to sites that let them create personal profiles and that feature chat rooms and other forms of online communication that can subject them to sexual advances. "We've all heard stories of children on some of these social Web sites meeting up with dangerous predators," said Rep. Hastert. "This legislation adds another layer of protection." The director of the American Library Association's office of government relations, Lynne Bradley, told CNET News.com that librarians are "as protective of kids as any other protection in this whole field, but we do know there are legitimate uses (of social-networking sites)." Some schools already block access to sites like MySpace, Facebook and Friendster, prompting enterprising students to take elaborate steps like setting up online proxies to their home computers, which allow them to bypass filters and access the social networks from school computers.

Rep. Frank Considering Bill to Repeal Online Gambling Ban

Bill Would Add Penalties for Crime Videos Posted Online

President Signs Bill Outlawing "Pretexting" Into Law

Wired News: MPAA Lobby Kills Calif. Bill That Outlawed "Pretexting"

Congress Approves Ban on Internet Gambling

Internet Gambling Bill May Not Get Vote Before Congressional Recess

House Bill Would Mandate Ratings Board Play All New Video Games

U.S. House Approves Bill to Restrict Internet Gambling

Senate Republican Bill Would Increase Regulations, Penalties on Explicit Sites

Oklahoma Gov. Signs Video Game Bill Into Law

House Approves Bill Facilitating Telecom Digital TV Services

Louisiana Governor Likely to Sign Video Game Bill Passed in Senate

Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Streamline Digital Music Licensing

Senate Commerce Committee to Revise Proposed Net Neutrality Bill

Wired News: Has the Net Ever Been Neutral?

House Judiciary Committee Approves Internet Gambling Ban

Bill Fining Minors Who Purchase Violent Games Passes Minnesota House

Louisiana House Unanimously Approves Violent Video Game Bill

French Parliament Alters iTunes Bill; License Fee, DRM Assurances Added

Bill Would Ban Minors' Access to Social Networks at Schools, Libraries

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